Still to be neat, still to be dressed

In his exploration of the deceptive nature of a woman’s appearance, Jonson uses cosmetics as a recurring symbol. The unnatural and undesirable qualities of cosmetics are reflected in the overwhelmingly negative diction choices he employs in the first stanza, like “presumed” (Line 4), “hid” (Line 5), and “not” (Lines 5, 6, 6). As cosmetics were associated with prostitution and theatre, make-up was seen as inherently deceptive and immoral. In this way, Jonson comments on how a woman performs her femininity and sexuality when he refers to the woman’s need to still be “powdered” and “perfumed” (Line 3). While she is trying to entertain societal standards of beauty, the speaker criticizes her for performing the wrong type of femininity and sexuality. The speaker presents the alternative to all cosmetics symbolize when he refers to natural, physical parts of her appearance in stanza two, like her face and her hair, instead of the tools of manipulation. The speaker equates “simplicity” with “grace” (Line 8). Other uses of positive diction used during the second stanza, like “free” (Line 9), reinforces the positive associations of a natural and chaste woman.